Similarities Between Chris Mccandless And John Krakauer

Christopher McCandless also appreciated Henry David Thoreau, Chris followed many of his ideas in his own lifestyle. He placed it in his own life and tried to live without all materialistic necessities, such as his car and all his money. Chris took his lifestyle

To some, adventurers like Chris McCandless are young, idealistic, and resolute people with high moral standards. They want to take everything they can out of life, and they want to experience every facet of it. However, this isn’t a view everyone shares. To some, McCandless was an irrational kid with no experience who couldn’t handle is family issues. On the other hand, Henry David Thoreau is viewed as a calm, steady, and contemplative man with a strong love of nature. Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau share many similarities, but they also have defining differences. There are three ways that we can compare these people: Chris went to the woods to escape his past whereas as Thoreau went there to be with nature, Chris was very

Chris McCandless made the bold decision to travel throughout North America and living off the barest of essentials. He left behind his materialistic life, for what he felt was the beauty of nature. Displaying exactly why Emerson and McCandless shared the same feelings toward nature in general. By Chris rejecting society, he cut off everything that was once important to him. Chris left his family without even a hint of where he was going. Chris comes off as foolish and that he bit off more than he could chew.

Throughout his life, Chris McCandless shows multiple examples of transcendental actions. McCandless does what he wants and does not care what people think about him. Chris McCandless would set up tents and live away from society because it was where he was happiest. As a child, McCandless did not like playing with other children. He preferred to be alone and entertain himself. Chris McCandless did not like to wear socks; he felt confined in them. He demonstrated Transcendentalism through reduce dependence on property, self-reliance, and nonconformity.

“Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works” (Roderick Nash). Chris McCandless, a modern transcendentalist, sent out on an adventure to find his true self in the wilderness of the North American continent. In the two years he was away, he met many individuals he called his friends and explored the extent of the American West. However, Chris was found dead in an abandoned bus on the Stampede Trail in the deep wilderness of Alaska in early September 1992. Chris believed he could live his life without the disruption of others. Henry David Thoreau believed that individuals can strive for themselves without government interruption. Chris McCandless, in Jon Krakauer’s documentary Into the Wild, believes that living off the land and life to its fullest without help from others compares to Henry David Thoreau’s beliefs in his writing “Civil Disobedience.”

The arguably most apparent aspect in which the personalities of Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau truly paralleled one another can be quite blatantly seen within their shared initial and over-arching motivation supporting their unified desire to journey into the wild: The burning need to escape materialism as a whole, as well as constantly progressing technology, both of which were, and still are, prominent in every area of society. This core incentive is very evidently described in the line, scribed within Walden, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life” (Thoreau 59). He then expands upon this belief, and provides support for his naturalistic intentions, with the following statement: “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life... to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms” (Thoreau 59). Thoreau passionately felt that civilization as a whole had become entirely over-dependent upon a chaotic mess of irrelevant details, the majority of which everyone had begun to mistakenly perceive as necessities, to the point where he finally announced the complete control he felt technology had over society through the phrase, “We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us” (Thoreau 60). Each of these meaningless affairs, he said, revolved solely around the very concepts from which he was determined to find refuge

Transcendentalism by definition means to live a rational life with nature and becoming one entity that rules over itself. That seems difficult though because living in this day an age without having to worry about anything or about anyone else is like asking for forever lasting gum. In the book Into The Wild, Chris McCandless tries to do just that and succeeds. While on his journey to Alaska, Chris becomes the embodiment of transcendentalism. He embraces multiply of the qualities of transcendentalism but there were three that were the most prominent throughout the story. He believed in living closer to nature, relied on self trust and self reliance, and also he insists on breaking from traditions like government or paying taxes like most

At the end of the chapter, McCandless tells the man to try living his life as simple as possible in order to find happiness. Hinting that McCandless could have felt a need to live a plain life in order to be content.

What does it take for someone to be considered a transcendentalist? Can someone be a transcendentalist if they do not mean to be one? In the life of Chris McCandless, many transcendental aspects are exhibited, such as nonconformity and self-reliance, but experts and readers are left wondering whether or not to consider him a transcendentalist. McCandless exhibits these traits willingly, which leads most readers to call him a transcendentalist. Chris McCandless is a transcendentalist because he knowingly follows the transcendental tenets and is heavily influenced by the works of the transcendentalists before him. Examples of the tenets that he follows are nonconformity, love and treasury of nature, self-reliance and free thought.

ITW brings us inside the mind of Chris McCandless showing his view on society. At first, McCandless is shown to participate well in college and with his family but as seen in the story, he begins to have no need for society or family. Stated by Carine, Chris’s sister, “He didn’t seem to need toys or friends. He could be alone and entertain himself for hours” (107). Chris didn’t feel the need for people to be close to. He wasn’t anti-social but just believed close relationships were a waste of time. This is the start of a feeling of for non-conformity for civilization and a spark of transcendentalism. Wayne Westerberg, a friend of Chris’ from ITW, when referring to Chris states, “He was hungry to learn about things. Unlike most of us, he was the sort of person who insisted on living out his beliefs” (67). Westerburg noticed how determined Chris was to carry out his plan to escape society. No matter what feelings Chris developed for Wayne he still pushed forth and left Wayne sticking true to his ideals. McCandless noted, “You are wrong if you think joy emanates only principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us” (47). This quote shows his explanation for not needing human relationships due to his belief in God and surrounding joy in nature. His strong faith is shown here as being close to nature is being close to God.

Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement developed in the early-19 century. This literary movement based on the importance of God, man and nature, allowed numerous authors to become known. Nowadays, in a society full of innovations and in which nature is becoming less and less important, some people still feel the need to live far from the cities, in the wilderness, and still appreciate the simple things of life. Chris McCandless was one of them and decided to live a simple life by following the basic ideas of transcendentalism.

Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau were two men who were willing to give up their entire lives and follow their Transcendentalist ideology. It didn’t matter that they lived in different time periods and had completely different histories, they both would abandon their lives in search of transcendentalist freedom.

Attending college, beginning a career, starting a family, and ultimately getting trapped in a daily routine are components in life that many see no means of escape. The lure of living off the grid with no responsibilities or connections to adult life are attractive but unattainable to most people. The experiences of Chris McCandless chronicled in Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, mystify the nation, along with many of the people he meets during his journey. From stories of those who meet McCandless along the way, people were able to put the pieces together and make a few assumptions for the reason he chooses to go into the wild. Individualism, living a minimalistic life, nonconformity, going into nature, and trusting oneself are fundamental Transcendentalist principles that McCandless also exemplifies. Two well-known proponents of the Transcendental movement, writers Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson, also have a strong connection to nature, that are also shown in Chris McCandless’s journey. This connection with nature requires someone to go into nature to clear the mind of meaningless things, and to open up their consciousness to what nature has to offer them. In doing so, a bond with their surroundings that has a direct impact on their well being and mental wellness. Chris McCandless, as described by Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, demonstrates becoming one with nature through nature’s impact on his well being and mental health.

I would like to say that I do exist. When I find something I am passionate about and enjoy writing about I could write a whole book. I don’t write for the fun of it but when I start writing for a essay that interest me, I really enjoy writing. I also like to read which is uncommon for people my age.

Influenced by the era of romanticism, transcendentalism teaches that divinity can be found throughout nature and humanity. The focus is on self; self reliance; and independence. Romantic authors, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, were strong influencers for these beliefs. Emerson once said, “A man in debt is so far a slave.” The wants of man are an insatiable desire. People are practically enslaved to debt as if they let it lead their lives, which is an extremely common lifestyle in today’s society. Ralph Waldo Emerson uses “Nature” and “Self-Reliance” to give an insight on transcendental beliefs, while Jon Krakauer uses Into the Wild to portray Chris McCandless as a contemporary hero through those beliefs.